In The Path of the She-Wolf (Red Fox pound;3.99, left) Tomlinson has created an intricate and challenging story about female fortitude and heroism in the time of King John, a refreshing re-telling of the Robin Hood myth. Tomlnson’s prose is lyrical and assured and her story is enriched by some revealing social historical context.

First Test (Scholastic Press pound;5.99) is the first novel in a quartet by Pierce called Protector of the Small, about a girl called Keladry and her quest to become a knight. Romantic medieval fantasy makes a strike for feminism.